Four Things Your Dentist Wants You to Stop Doing

Are bad habits getting in the way of a healthy smile? While everyone seems to appreciate the importance of brushing your teeth, there are other habits detrimental to people’s oral hygiene that often get overlooked. The dentists at Duncan Dental Tauranga have seen some transformative smiles when our clients ditch the following four habits.

Choosing the wrong drinks and drinking them slowly

The advice to limit sugary drinks like juice and fizzy starts when you’re an infant. ‘Just milk and water,’ dentists and other health professionals will tell new parents, and for good reason. Drinks high in sugars can damage your enamel and cause tooth decay. And then there’s high tannin drinks, like red wine and coffee, which cause staining on your teeth.

Of course, we don’t expect you to forgo your daily coffee or say no to that juice box when every one kid is getting one. Moderation is key, but there are also some tips and tricks that can help lessen the damage of drinks filled with sugars and tannins. The best thing to do is drink your treat beverage quickly rather than nursing it, and then follow it up with water.

Forgetting to floss

We know that it can be a tricky habit to maintain day after day, but flossing is just as important as brushing – and would you ever go a whole day without brushing? Your dentist wants you to floss daily because it gets rid of plaque that you can’t reach with your toothbrush, making it a necessary part of your oral health.

If you’re regularly forgetting to floss, or you’re having trouble with your technique, let us know. We can help you find ways to make it easier and turn flossing into a habit you wouldn’t dream of skipping.

Using at home tooth whitening kits

We all love white teeth, but at-home whitening kits are often either a waste of money, or worse – harmful to your teeth and gums. DIY whitening kits can thin your enamel and irritate your gums, leaving you with gum recession and tooth sensitivity. If you want to whiten your teeth, speak to your Tauranga dentist about proven and safe methods that will remove stains and leave you with a sparkly smile.

Putting off your dental appointments

Please don’t fear your dentist – we are here to help! Dentists have gotten a bad rap, but seeing your Tauranga dentist and dental hygienist regularly is important to your health. The team at Duncan Dental is friendly and gentle, so if you find yourself fearing an appointment let us know and we’ll do what we can to put you at ease.

If you’re avoiding your dental checkup because you haven’t kept your oral health up to scratch and you’re afraid of a telling-off from your dentist – don’t worry! We’re not here to scold, we just want to make sure your teeth and gums are in tip top shape.

Book an appointment at Duncan Dental

Taking care of your smile starts with a dental check – give Duncan Dental a ring and book an appointment at one of our Tauranga-based dental clinics today.

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